Four Shades of Black
by NiteShade
Summary: A summary would just spoil the fun of reading and finding out for yourself.
1. Chapter 1

I dont remember how it all started. The earliest thing I remember is her...

I've asked her several times about my past but she knows almost as little about me as I do. She did, however, tell me how I came to be in her care. She was burning my village to the ground, yet I'm still unsure as to why. She was doing a routine check for survivors and killing them on the spot when she found me on the outskirts of the village covered in ash and blood, most of which was mine. She said that for some odd reason she couldn't kill me, instead she decided to take home with her. If I survived I would be free to go, and if I didnt I would become food for her hounds, a pair of demon Dobermans.

My earliest memory to date is waking up and seeing her watching me. Learning all of this was a bit of a shock at first, but then I decided since I dont remember it anyways then its no big deal. Its been three years since then. I'm not sure what my actual age is but I'm guessing its somwhere between 16 and 19. I am of course a human, and I have been living with her since that day. She is a demon. I'm not really sure what kind, but then, I've never really asked. It never seemed too important. She's been teaching me, training me you could say. Fully outfitted I can outperform any other human alive, and even though I'm easily a match for lower class demons, I'm still no match for her.

I awoke one morning to the sun beating on my face. I rolled over and thought about staying in bed. I sighed and got out of bed. I ambled my way over to the chest at the foot of my bed and dug some clean clothes out. I slipped them on then picked up my boots from beside the chest. I sat down and started lacing them up. As i did so the soft padding of bare feet as light as a feather floated to my ears from the other side of my closed door. I looked up as the handle turned just in time to see her walk in.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER 1

She glides in with short soft steps. Her tiny bare feet padding against eh hard wood floor like a cats, almost too silent to be heard. She had on a small black leather miniskirt that was almost a little too short and easily revealed her pale shapely legs. Her entire body was as oft creamy white which nearly glowed in the sunlight like a full moon on a clear night. Her body was curved just right into that perfect hourglass figure and her full round breasts were covered only by a tied black handkerchief top, showing off the pale skin of her arms, shoulder, and stomach. Her flawless pale face was framed by flowing locks of raven hair that fell just her shoulder blades and what seemed to be a pair of vibrant emerald peered out through the dark ocean of hair straight at he as her full pale lips curved into a smile that would melt the frost off of a window. Just as I pulled the last straps onto my boots her cool voice floated from her and washed over my ears.

"Are you ready?" she asked me. I was a bit hesitant at first but I smiles a bit and replied, "Yes."

She continued to smile and stepped out of the room silently and turned the corner out of my sight, content with the answer she had gotten. I soon followed after her out of the room but when I peered around for her I saw only the humble furnishing of her abode. I then stepped towards the balcony, my footsteps were like thunder compared to hers. As I reached the balcony I moved to the railing and looked down to the ground. The tree house was built in the tallest tree in the forest and from my vantage point I could easily see the ground and over all the other trees in my view. As I peered down the trunk I spotted two men as the very base of the tree, chatting and looking up and down the tree as they planned to cut the tree for lumber. They couldn't see my because of the enchantment on the tree house but I could easily see them, and if I could see them then she already knew they were there. A small smirk played over my lips as I thought about that fact, I knew that she would either be sender her hounds after the men or she would take care of them herself. As I turned away from the balcony to head back into the tree house a single scream cam e floating up the tree and into my ears as the two black Dobermans came from behind the men. I turned to look down just in time to see the monstrous mutts Rage and Omega drag the men still alive and by the throats in separate directions. The men would stay alive as the mutts terrorized them until they get tired of them and kill and devour them pour souls. One thin I've learned about those two, they get along just fine as long as they each have their own food, because when they have to share, they get competitive.

I once again heard that cool soft voice, only this time from behind me, as a pair of soft delicate ahnds slide around my waist and up to my chest and her chin came to rest on my shoulder. "Watching the puppies again?" she asked me with a cool yet slightly evil tone to her voice.

"Yeah." I replied to her. I couldn't help but smile at her touch. It was amazing how something so soft and delicate could wreak such havoc on the world. I looked down the trunk of the five hundred foot tree. I somehow mustered up enough courage to say to her "I think I'm ready." and even though it was said under my breath her sharp ears caught every word.

"Alright then." were her only words as he hands slipped free from my chest. She walked past me and to the edge of the balcony, turning and smirking a bit deviously as she raised her arms to the sky and did a small graceful hop of the balcony. Even that hop carried her a good distance into the air as she placed her ankles together and did a straight legged back flip into the air and off the balcony, doing several spins on the way down and landing in a perfect three point landing. She made it look so easy as she did it, almost as if she could float the entire way down. I sighed heavily and I knew that it would not be that simple for me. I took a step back and closed my eyes for a moment as I gathered my courage. I swallowed hard and reopened my eyes and I could feel my heart beating in my chest. My stomach curled into a knot as I took a few quick steps in a burst of a sprint and took the plunge off the balcony. I threw my arms up into the air mostly haphazardly and watched as the ground slowly got closer, I kept my legs together underneath me and bent my knees to cushion my landing. After a few second the ground began to rush up at me like a freight train and fear overtook my mind, sending me into a panic. I flailed in the air trying to avoid the inevitable but is was going to be a one hit fight. My flailing had only provoked my landing even more as my right arm hit a branch on the way down though I didn't notice it, it tilted me to the left and my left leg hit the ground first. A loud sickening crack rang through the air as a bullet of pain shot through my entire leg and up my left side into my ribs and large white spots burst in front of my eyes. My ears began uncontrollably ringing so loud I couldn't hear anything else. She had caught me before any other part of me had hit the ground. As my consciousness faded from the intense pain the world started to spin around me. Between that and the flashes of white spots in my eyes and the deafening ringing in my ears my stomach began to churn and knot. The last thing I remember before blacking out was her smiling face looking down on me.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 2

I woke up one night in a cold sweat in a strange stone room. As I surveyed my surroundings I found I was apparently in a dungeon of some sort. I attempted to stand and as I did so felt some slight resistance and heard the metal on stone scraping of chains. I stood and looked around the dank dark cell, I was very dizzy for some reason. My leg had apparently healed already which led me to believe I had been down here for at least a month or two unconscious. I was surprised I was still alive. Hunger pains suddenly shot through my stomach and I buckled over, my vision blurred as I tried to focus through the intense darkness. I could not even see five feet in front of me when my vision wasn't blurred, now I could hardly see my hand in front of my own face.

I fell to my knees and onto my side as the hunger pains slowly died away. My vision came slowly back into focus as I slowly looked around and concentrated on focusing through the dark. As I clutched my stomach I felt cold iron clasps around my wrists and waist that I had not noticed before. I also noticed that my clothes had changed, I was now dressed in a rough burlap outfit. My senses were slowly starting to return to me now and I sat up woozily. After my eyes had focused a bit more I could barely make out the outline of iron bars in front of me. The dank smell of rotting flash and blood assaulted my nose. My ears were still ringing heavily and the noise blocked out all others except for the elevated sound of my own heartbeat inside of my chest.

After a few hours of surveying my area and trying to think clearly a small light came from the wall a few feet outside of my cell. It was a doorway and somebody was coming towards it with a light. The yellow orangish glow slowly began to grow brighter and brighter until it shone from the edges of the door like a lamp. There was small pause as I strained my still ringing ears to pick up some sot of sound. Mere seconds later the heavy wood and iron door swung open and the bright light burst into the room. I covered my eyes instinctively for a few moments as I let my eyes adjust. After a few minutes I was able to look up again, but the person had already passed, while the light was coming from a torch the person was carrying was still in the area I took the chance to look around.

In the cell directly across from me I saw the mutilated figure of what seemed was once a very beautiful woman. She had been beaten and cut and whipped and starved to near death from the looks of her. She was unusually thin and had cuts and bruises all over her. I could not tell exactly who it was or what their face was like but I could tell they had black hair, though it was matted and strung over their face. She was dressed in brown burlap clothes nearly identical to mine. There was a noise to my side and I looked over. The person in the cell next to me was coughing and spitting up blood. I looked for the person that had come in a few minutes ago and noticed they were making their way back towards the door.

I tried to think of a good way to escape while I had the chance butt my brain was nearly blank. I noticed the person had placed the torch on the wall and from that I deducted they would be staying a bit. As the person came closer I noticed they were masked in a black executioners mask. I decided this was probably a safety measure taken by the people who did this so if anyone did escape they wouldn't be revealed. The executioner move to my cell and looked in at me, soon afterwards the person let off a low crackling laugh followed by a harsh and unforgiving voice that I could hardly make out because of the ringing in my ears "Finally awake I see, good, you are just in time to see something special."

I didn't like the way that sounded but I continued to watch. As the person stood in front of me I took the chance to observe the executioners appearance. The person wore heavy black boots and had the build of a man but I could not let that rule out the possibility of a large woman. This person had on a tan long sleeved shirt and black gloves. The shirt was apparently spattered in dried blood that more than likely refused to come out of the clothing when washed. The executioner also more a pair of black pants with a black leather apron over it that was also spattered in dried blood. On this executioners hip was a large dagger that had a hilt decorated with large emeralds on the very end, though one emerald was missing and had been replaced by a fake one that was very discolored. The handle itself was gold and was sheathed in a decorated leather scabbard with burned engravings and a small clasp to keep the dagger from falling to the side and falling out of the sheath completely.

The executioner turned away from me and I let a small sigh of relief escape my lips. Hoping that this meant I would live to escape another day, or at least attempt an escape. The person moved the cell across from mine and as they did I noticed that the person inside was shackled tightly to the wall and sitting down. She was shackled by her waist directly to the corner and her ankles were shackled tight to the ground. The only thing free was her neck. The executioner banged one fist against the bars and yelled at the poor woman, "WAKE UP BITCH!"

The woman slowly looked up at the person and spit in the executioners face from where she was. It was a considerable distance but she did it just as well as if she was directly in this persons face. The executioner growled out a few incomprehensible curses before wiping the spit away and reaching for a set of keys. The executioner opened the gate and walked in, saying something nearly inaudible for me, "Your going to die now bitch!", and then the person pulled the decorated dagger from its sheath and held it to the womans throat.

The woman slowly looked up and caught eyes with me. Even through the dim light of the torch I could see the most stunning emerald eyes I had ever seen in my life. I knew instantly it was her and I jumped from the ground trying to scream and yell at the person with the dagger but no sound came from my throat. My breath was suddenly restricted as if invisible hands had clamped around my throat. My body became incredibly weak to the point where I fell to my knees. My vision blurred and my head swam. My ears began to ring even more at this point and sweat seemed to be rolling off of my body everywhere. I tried to struggle but failed. I was beginning to get desperate and I fought harder. I tried to get my vision for focus again as I started to black out. I was able to focus enough to see the executioner drag the bloody blade of the dagger over her throat and push her head back to the allow the blood to spray from the wound with each pump of her heart. I panicked and tried to scream again but my strength had left me completely now. I felt my body falling and I felt as if it took me forever to get to the ground. I watched as the hard stone floor rushed up to greet me even though it seemed to be in slow motion. I felt my body hit the floor and blacked out completely.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 3

I woke up in a cold sweat and the room was dark. My leg was in intense pain yet again and when I tried to move my ears began ringing instantly and white spots burst in front of my eyes just like the day I broke it. I began to wonder how much time had elapsed since then. Somehow I felt as though I wasn't in a dungeon. The floor felt different, almost as if it was wood instead of stone, and my clothes were completely gone. I was laying on my stomach at the moment and somehow found the strength to force myself onto my back. The back of my head hit something hard and wooden but before I could reach up to feel what it was I started to hear footsteps, louder than what I was used to. Seconds later a door swung open and in stepped a dark figure. Light burst into the room behind it blinding me to its true form. It began to move towards me and I panicked again, scrambling back and forgetting the pain in my leg. My only thought was to run.

I started with fright when her cool soft voice floated to me, "Stop that, you'll hurt yourself." I turned to look as my eyes adjusted and I saw her smiling face with those dazzling emerald eyes staring into mine. I began to cry uncontrollably and she moved over quickly. She kneeled down next to me and hugged me gently, shushing me all the while. I deciding it was merely a nightmare that I had even though it seemed to incredibly real. But no matter how real the nightmare was I was simply glad to see she was alive.

She smiled warmly and kissed my cheek, lifting me onto the bed. As I was set down I felt a sharp pain in my leg which led me to believe not that much time had elapsed from the day I broke my leg. This belief was soon confirmed by her when she said, "You've been asleep for the past three days and you've been healing really well, I don't want you to go and break your leg again, or mess up your new arm. Now, go back to sleep and get some rest, no if, ands, or buts."

I was a bit confused but glad I wasn't in a cell anymore and that she was still alive, so I simply did what she said. I closed my eyes, the thought of my "new arm" on my mind, wondering what she meant by that. Was It actually possible to get a new arm? And why would I need it? Did I hurt my arm when I fell? I decided id ask her in the morning, it was too dark at the moment to check and my arm felt fine so I wasn't really worried about it. I Soon fell asleep and from then on my night was fairly pleasant.

I awoke the next morning before the sun had risen yet and found my covers gone. She was beside the bed tending to my leg, wrapping it tightly in a clothe with a splint on four sides of it to hold it completely still. I winced a bit in pain but stayed quiet as I watched her silently. I saw a small smile play over her lips and one played over mine as well. She knew I was awake and watching her and her voice followed the small smile only a few minutes later, "You can get up and walk around now but only if you need to, I want you to stay in bed for at least a month with this since your leg will take a while to heal."

I remembered the night before and decided id ask, "What did you mean last night about my 'new arm'?". Of course I eagerly awaited her answer though I had learned not to show it. As I waited and watche d her tend to my leg I wondered if she was willing to tell me at all. She was taking quite some time with my leg and the answer that I had almost given up.

She then finished wrapping my leg and pinned the clothe with a needle. She looked up to me and smiled a bit more and beginning her answer, "Well, when you were attempting the jump from the balcony you hit your arm on a branch on the way down, shattered the bones in it and badly tore most of the flesh. At the rateyou were bleeding you would have bled to death if I didn't do something. So I took you to my friend Agaroth, The Blood Dragon. His blood can heal any wound but only when given freely by him, if taken without permission it is instant death. The is also a side effect, but it varies from person to person. I'm not sure how it will truly effect you but it was our only choice. I do hope you approve."

I nodded a bit and smiled as if to say of course I do. I was truly touched by the fact that she cared about me as she did. I was afraid if I spoke I may end up in tears again, after last night I was still a bit unstable. She smiles and pulled the covers back over me and stood to walk out, calling towards me as she left, "I'll bring you some breakfast at dawn."

I called out after her just before she left the room, "Aura?"

She turned to look at me and smiled lightly, "Yes, Donipher?", that was the name she had given me when I recovered from the wounds I had when she found me.

I smiled a bit to her and looked away, I could feel the blood rush into my cheeks and knew I was blushing, "Thank you… for caring."

She laughed a bit, "Well I've grown fond of you, I can't let you leave without a proper goodbye.", and with those words she walked from the room and the door closed behind me.


End file.
